Change of Fate
by Dragon Chyld
Summary: Alphia OneShot. Sometimes a tragic event can bring two people closer.


Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or its Characters.

Note: This is a one-shot. There's a funny story behind this one. My cousin (Blue Persuasion) got the biggest kick out of rice8369 with her reviews about killing Fayt. So Blue wrote up a rough draft of an Alphian (gasp!) and handed to me one day. I sat it to the side but it taunted me so I fixed it up. Here's the final version.

**Change of Fate**

I stood alone and steady as the wind tossed my hair around. The day was gray and dreary. It matched my mood. I had woken this morning with tears. My pain was the aftermath of a dream. A dream where he was still here to smile at me. A dream where he didn't leave me.

I miss him. There will always be a place in my heart that is hollow. Never once did I think I would lose him so soon. I always thought we would continue to grow up together. I never imagined there would be a day he wouldn't be there to talk to. He always listened to me. He was there every time I needed him.

Memories of my childhood danced in my head. Most often then not it was just the two of us. I remember when I was only three years old and we played in the park every Saturday. He never cared that I was a girl. Unlike most five year old boys he was never mean to me.

I remember my first day of school. For some reason my young logic assumed I would be in classes with him. I was terribly disappointed when I learned he was two grades ahead of me and wouldn't be in my class. Still, we went to the same school so I got to sit with him at lunch. Even then he never let it bother him. At that age the boys teased him about sitting with a girl but he never seemed to mind. Every time I would get upset thinking I had done something wrong he would calm me.

Then there was middle school. Those were awkward days to say the least. I saw less and less of him at school. I had my friends and he had his; but every weekend he would come over to my house and keep me company during the hours I was left alone. During those days we struggled to hold conversations. It was more evident then ever that I was a girl and he a boy. Looking back now I can laugh at us. Still, we had remained friends.

The next step was high school. By the time I made it to my freshman year he was a junior. He stopped coming to my house as often as before. He was involved with sports; particularly basketball. Though we didn't spend as much time together I could see the joy on his face when he played a game. He would start each basketball game by scanning the crowd to see who had shown up. His parents were as busy as mine and hardly ever had time to see their son play. It wasn't that he was unloved by them; it was just the way things worked out. I knew he was disappointed when they weren't there, but he knew I was and I think that helped. I never missed a single game.

My junior year was the loneliest year of school I had ever experienced. I never imagined that his absence would have such an effect on me. And he didn't come to my house as often. He spent a large amount of his time in the simulators. So when I was invited to go on vacation to Hyda IV I was thrilled. Here was my chance to spend more time with him and see if college life had changed him too much.

But things didn't go exactly as I had hoped. To say the least, things went chaotic. First the Vendeeni attack. Then I'm help prisoner and when I finally find him again there was no time to even relax. At first I was disappointed at the changes I saw in him that day on Elicoor; but as time went on I understood they were for the better. We were fighting for our lives. There was no time to doubt. But there was no time to talk either.

Those are days I will never forget. The events that took place then have forever changed my life in ways I never imagined. I no longer go to school and I don't plan on ever going to college. Those were things I had planned on since an early age. It isn't so bad. I like where I am now with the exception on one thing – he's gone.

I bent down and rested the Maiden of Irisa on the ground in front of the tombstone. A rare flower that is a good luck charm for travelers. It might not help him in his travels now, but it was the most appropriate of flowers to offer.

A few tears fell from my eyes as I read his name engraved in the cold stone. We had just returned to Elicoor after the battle with Luther only to be hit with hard news. Shortly after returning he got sick. Very sick and we were all worried. The best doctors available at the time looked at him. It crushed us all when they gave their diagnosis.

Maria took it harder then any of us – even me and I had known him all my life. It would seem that his illness was the result of his Destruction gene interfering with the alterations made when we passed into 4D space. No one else was affected, just him. It was something that Uncle Robert could have never foreseen. When we were altered by Maria to pass safely into the 4D realm, his Destruction gene was triggered on a minuscule scale. It was so miniscule that by the time he realized something was wrong it was too late. He was being 'destroyed' from the inside and there was no way to stop it.

His final wish was to be buried in Arias. He said that it was a village that was once destroyed but refused to die. He said that even if his body died his spirit would not give up. He wanted to be like the village that is now rebuilt and prosperous. He told me that despite what we learned when confronting Luther, he wanted to believe that we went on. After all, we did gain our freedom from total deletion.

I could taste the tears on my lips before I realized just how much I was crying. I tried to wipe them away, but more came. I should have known better then to come here in such an emotional state. I was close to being an emotional wreck to begin with.

"As you see, Fayt, I'm doing fine. Just like you wanted me to. I moved on and I'm living my life." I spoke so softly that a whisper would be shouting if compared.

His final farewell to me hung like precious memories in the air.

"_Sophia, please don't be sad. I'm sorry I can't be there for you anymore but if you need me all you have to do is think of me. I don't know what to expect now but in your memories I can live. You're stronger then you think. There were times I wanted to give up but then I would imagine you and what you would say. Even in my memories you never let me down. In your memories I'll always be there with you."_

I did my best to stand with some grace. As the last few months had passed, I had lost nearly all my grace and balance. It was still hard to believe the changes I had been through in the past year. Those memories made me smile through my tears.

I smiled for myself and for Fayt. I know he would be happy for me if he were still here. And proud. He would definitely be proud.

A scuffing sound alerted me to the fact that I was no longer alone. It was a sound I had grown accustom to over the past year. I closed my eyes and listened to him breath behind me. _"Yes, Fayt, you would be happy for me and him. You never showed were he could see, but I knew you were concerned for him too."_

I took a step back. "You're back early."

"Hmm."

I giggled softly. Things had changed so much in the past year. I'm no longer the little girl I had been. On the day my life long friend died I found comfort in the last place I ever expected to find it. That day was the day he started to change also.

It was almost unreal how fast things happened. Everyone was concerned but us. We didn't question our unlikely relationship. We knew we fit together. It was something we could never explain – but we knew.

We held the ceremony two months later. Even though the others were still unsure they all showed up. If not for Mirage I would have been a nervous wreck. She kept me calm. Maria, as awkward as it was for her, helped me with words of confidence. Peppita kept me smiling. None of it would have been possible without Nel. She was my rock through it all.

I can only imagine how the guys handled it. I'm sure that was a sight to see.

Days before the ceremony I was upset at the news I received from my father. Even though I was of legal age, he disapproved. Things worked themselves out and on the day I was to marry I had two men give me away. Neither my father nor mother showed up, but Adray and Woltar did their best to make up for it. A girl couldn't have asked for more.

I'll admit being his wife isn't easy. I've gone days at a time without seeing him. It's not his fault. His job takes him away, but he always comes home to me. Despite what most think of him, he is a man of honor and his word. The only fear I have when he leaves is for his safety.

"It wasn't hard to guess where I would find you when I got home and you were not there."

The wind blew softly. So many good memories allowed me to respond with no fear of crying more. "It's hard to believe it's been a year."

He drew closer and placed his arm around me. His hand came to rest on my belly. "You shouldn't strain yourself."

To anyone else his voice would sound emotionless; but I could detect the worry he held. I chuckled and leaned back on him. "No strain, I promise. I came here by wagon."

He grunted as his nose dug in my hair. This is my life and where I belong. I know this wholeheartedly.

"Let's go home," he whispered him my ear.

As he drew his face up I tilted my head back. His ruby eyes greeted me and I smiled. "Yes, home would be nice."

He was about to pull away when a subtle movement halted both of us. As if responding to him, the life inside of me moved for the first time. He gently pulled me closer and buried his face in my hair. He was hiding his smile.

My life had turned out better then any fairy tale I could have imagined. I only wish you were still here to see it, Fayt. I'll always miss you and therefore in my memories you will always live.

I pulled away after there was no more movement left from my unborn child and turned to my husband. "Are you ready to go, Nox?" I teased.

He smirked. "Only if you are…_Nox_."


End file.
